Things I will miss:

1. Feeling every kick, squirm and wiggle. Even though I would sometimes find it hard to fall asleep at night because of all her movement…it is still an amazing feeling just knowing that there is a little human being with arms and legs growing and moving inside of me. I still remember when I first started to feel her kick. I thought it was just gas at first but little did I know that those little fluttery sensations was actually our baby!

2. My big belly! Watching it grow throughout the weeks and months. And sometimes when it’s quiet at home and I’m by myself I’ll just sit and stare at it and wait for the baby to move so I can see the waves and jiggles.

3. The excitement and anticipation of our baby’s arrival.

4. Ultrasounds and hearing her heartbeat. Although I probably only had a few ultrasounds in my 1st and 2nd trimester, I would so look forward to seeing her on screen and seeing how she has grown. Just as amazing is hearing her heartbeat at each appointment.

5. The closeness I feel to her and having her all to myself all the time.

6. The hubby being extra sweet to me and more helpful around the house. Hopefully, this will still stick after the baby is born…but Mike has been an amazing hubby and daddy-to-be these past months. Even though his over-protectiveness sometimes annoyed the sh*t out of me…I still understand why he is like that and actually think it’s kind of cute. He’s been great around the house…cleaning, doing the laundry, washing the dishes….basically not wanting me to lift a finger.

7. Being able to play the pregnancy card. It’s a great excuse to just be lazy, take more naps, get to work a little late and leave a little early, have the hubby give more massages, the list can go on and on…

8. Not feeling bad about stuffing my face. Burgers, pizza, mac and cheese, cake, cookies…I ate it all and didn’t feel bad about it!

9. Not having to worry about sucking in my belly after I would stuff my face! =)

10. Fuller, stronger hair!

11. My bigger, fuller boobies! And the hubby always staring and wanting to touch them…hahaha!

12. People being extra nice to me. Sometimes I would just be walking around the mall or the grocery store and complete strangers would smile and/or ask me when I am due. People at work are more considerate…holding the door and elevator open for me.

Things I won’t miss:

1. The anticipation and anxiety of going into labor/delivery and all the pain and discomfort that goes along with it.

2. Alcohol/Food restrictions! Wine, sushi, ceviche, coffee with caffeine, sandwiches with deli meat, soft cheeses, medium cooked burgers and steaks (medium-well and well done are too dry!), etc. Although…I plan to breastfeed so I’ll still have to hold back on some of these things for a bit longer.

3. Uncomfortable sex! hahah…ok, maybe TMI for some of you but honestly….sex while pregnant (especially in the later months) is so uncomfortable to me.

4. Swollen hands and fingers.

5. Not being able to wear high heels. I stopped wearing them when I reached my 3rd trimester. It just wasn’t comfortable anymore with all the weight that I gained. Plus, the hubby would throw a fit if I wore them.

6. Leg Cramps in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning.

7. Weird things/changes to my body. The skin on my face got a bit more blotchy and I did get a few stretch marks. There are other things too which I will not mention but, in general, just wondering if certain things are normal or has happened to other women.

8. Having to rely on the hubby on certain things. This month and last has been hard on my back so I try to avoid lifting heavy things. I hate how I have to wait for Mike to get home from work so that we can go to Target or the grocery store or to do laundry.

9. Having to get up to pee 1-3 times in the middle of the night.

10. Achy lower back.

11. Feeling fat and frumpy looking. I know, I know…I’m pregnant, not fat! But still…. Actually, I think I’ve always felt like this every now and then, even before I was pregnant…haha!

12. Not coloring my hair. I know that some people still do it but I just wanted to be extra careful so I just avoided doing it.

13. Super painful bikini waxes. I only got one while pregnant…back when I was probably 4 or 5 months and it hurt like hell! They told me it was because when you are pregnant there is more blood circulating down there making it extra sensitive and extra painful.

37 weeks and 2 days….she is the size of a watermelon now (well…a small watermelon that is…)

At week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. Baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. Meconium, which you’ll probably find in the first diaper, is accumulating in the intestines. If (okay, as) you worry about giving birth, consider what it’s like for the little one. During the journey out of your womb, baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in life.

i’m meeting with my OB weekly now and just had my appointment a couple days ago. i mentioned the loss of my mucus plug, the pelvic pain/pressure that i’ve been getting more of and the slight swelling of my hands/feet. she thinks it’ll be about another week till i go into labor since she did check my cervix and it is starting to open (about 1/2 cm). baby is in a good position with her head down and she said if i were to deliver this week that she would probably weigh anywhere from 4.5 to 5 lbs. i though that was kind of light but then she said that it was ok because i’m so petite. as the days go by she’ll continue to gain more. as for the swelling…not much she can do about that. it’s actually not too bad. it just sometimes hurts if i’m on my feet too long (which i shouldn’t be anyway) and my hands will hurt a lil bit at night and first thing in the morning when i try to make a fist…but it goes away later in the day. as long as my blood pressure is normal (which thankfully it is!) then a little swelling is ok.

i’m counting down the days till i start maternity leave….6 1/2 work days to go (or less if Brooklynn decides to make an early appearance)!

As far as how I’ve been feeling physically…it’s been getting more uncomfortable. Every now and then the baby pushes on my bladder and pelvic area so I get this painful pressure that lasts for about 5 seconds. I brought it up to my OB and she checked my cervix just to make sure that I wasn’t dilating or anything but she said everything looks good down there and that as long as I wasn’t experiencing actual contractions (30-60 seconds and 5 minutes apart) that the pressure pain is normal. My lower back has also been aching more along with a little bit of swelling of my hands and feet. I stopped wearing my wedding bands because one time they almost got stuck on my finger! And I have these leather boots that I can no longer fit my left foot in anymore! Good sleep has been lacking too. I guess my body is just preparing itself for the little sleep I will be getting when the baby arrives. I’m always tossing and turning in bed…changing positions…getting up in the middle of the night to pee. And for some reason I can no longer sleep in on the weekends. I automatically want to get up around 8 or 9AM. I use to love sleeping in till 11 or 12PM…hahaha!

To add to the discomforts of third trimester pregnancy and the craziness of the holidays…we are in the middle of renovating our kitchen. I’m talking about new cabinets, tiles, appliances…the works! Sounds great (which it is!) but we are currently without a kitchen right now and everything is sitting out in our dining and living room…meaning our place is an absolute mess! Everything should be done in about a week but its been getting harder for me to lift, bend and move around lately so the hubby has to do most of the cleaning and putting things back in place for me. It kind of drives me crazy since we both have different ideas on how we want to arrange our things in the cabinets. I guess I’ll just have to sit back and deal with how he does it for now….I can always change it later right? =)

Here’s a few pics of my very BIG belly the past few weeks…

What is it? SIDS is the sudden, unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant under one year of age remaining unexplained after an autopsy, death scene investigation and a medical history review. SIDS continues to be the leading cause of infant death, claiming the lives of approx. 3000 infants in the United Staes each year.

Oh my….how scary is that! Hubby and I are making it a point to do everything possible to prevent this. Check out the list below for possible ways to reduce SIDS:

Parents-To-Be

- Get medical care early in pregnancy, preferably within the first three months, followed by regular checkups at the doctor’s office or health clinic. Make every effort to assure good nutrition. These measures can reduce the risk of premature birth, a major risk factor for SIDS.

 - Do not smoke, use cocaine, or use heroin. Tobacco, cocaine, or heroin use during pregnancy increases the infant’s risk for SIDS.

- Don’t get pregnant during the teenage years. If you are a teen and already have one infant, take extreme caution not to become pregnant again. The SIDS rate decreases for babies born to older mothers. It is highest for babies born to teenage mothers. The more babies a teen mother has, the greater at risk they are.

-  Wait at least one year between the birth of a child and the next pregnancy. The shorter the interval between pregnancies, the higher the SIDS rate.

 Oh yes…we’re planning on waiting at least till Brooklynn is 2 or 3 to try for baby #2!

Parents

- Place infants to sleep on their backs, even though they may sleep more soundly on their stomachs. Infants who sleep on their stomachs and sides have a much higher rate of SIDS than infants who sleep on their backs.

 - Place infants to sleep in a baby bed with a firm mattress. There should be nothing in the bed but the baby – no covers, no pillows, no bumper pads, no positioning devices and no toys. Soft mattresses and heavy covering are associated with the risk for SIDS.

 I guess I’m not using my cutesy, girly bedding set that I got from the baby shower for awhile… And why do they even sell those sleep positioning devices at the store if you shouldn’t even use them???

- Keep your baby’s crib in the parents’ room until the infant is at least 6 months of age. Studies clearly show that infants are safest when their beds are close to their mothers.

 We recently bought a Chicco Lullaby Playard that we’re planning to set up in our bedroom for her to sleep in for at least the 1st 6 months. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3687547 Although we’re not planning on using the bassinet because we read something about bassinets increasing the risk of SIDS because it is not flat and the baby won’t have enough air flow….not sure how accurate that is but I just don’t want to risk it. We did just order a crib and dresser for her nursery as well but probably won’t use it for awhile. Mothers reading this….what did you guys do about the whole sleeping situation the 1st year???

- Do not place your baby to sleep in an adult bed. Typical adult beds are not safe for babies. Do not fall asleep with your baby on a couch or in a chair.

 I’d be too scared that I would roll over her!!!

- Do not over-clothe the infant while she sleeps. Just use enough clothes to keep the baby warm without having to use cover. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for you. Overheating an infant may increase the risk for SIDS.

 - Avoid exposing the infant to tobacco smoke. Don’t have your infant in the same house or car with someone who is smoking. The greater the exposure to tobacco smoke, the greater the risk of SIDS.

 - Breast-feed babies whenever possible. Breast milk decreases the occurrence of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Studies show that breast-fed babies have a lower SIDS rate than formula-fed babies do.

 - Avoid exposing the infant to people with respiratory infections. Avoid crowds. Carefully clean anything that comes in contact with the baby. Have people wash their hands before holding or playing with your baby. SIDS often occurs in association with relatively minor respiratory (mild cold) and gastrointestinal infections (vomiting and diarrhea).

 - Offer your baby a pacifier. Some studies have shown a lower rate of SIDS among babies who use pacifiers.

 - If your baby has periods of not breathing, going limp or turning blue, tell your pediatrician at once.

- If your baby stops breathing or gags excessively after spitting up, discuss this with your pediatrician immediately.

- Thoroughly discuss each of the above points with all caregivers. If you take your baby to daycare or leave him with a sitter, provide a copy of this list to them. Make sure they follow all recommendations.

Other ways that some people say lower the risk of SIDS:

- Avoid development of positional plagiocephaly

• Encourage “tummy time” when the infant is awake and observed. This will also enhance motor development.
• Avoid having the infant spend excessive time in car-seat carriers and “bouncers,” in which pressure is applied to the occupant. Upright “cuddle time” should be encouraged.
• Alter the supine head position during sleep. Techniques for accomplishing this include placing the infant to sleep with the head to one side for a week and then changing to the other and periodically changing the orientation of the infant to outside activity (eg, the door of the room).

- Improve the ventilation in your baby’s room.

• Keeping the air fresh in your baby’s room can help keep him from re-breathing the air he exhales. A study published in October 2008 in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reports that sleeping in a room with a fan reduces a baby’s risk of SIDS by 72 percent compared with sleeping in a room with no fan. While the researchers say that the risk is reduced the most for babies in unsafe sleeping conditions (for babies sleeping in a warm room, the risk is reduced by 94 percent), they conclude that fan use is a simple preventative measure that can be used for all infants. And though they didn’t find it statistically significant, the researchers found that circulating the air by opening a window in baby’s room also lowered the risk of SIDS.

We also had our baby shower about 2 weeks ago. Thank you to my fabulous girlfriends, favorite cowsin and amazing parents for planning and hosting! I’ve been to my fair share of baby showers before but that day I couldn’t believe that this time the shower was for us. Opening all the pink, girly gifts felt so surreal! But it was a good feeling to know that in just a couple more months all of it will be used for our baby girl! Thanks so much to all who attended! We feel truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends and a caring, supportive family during this special time for us.  Below are a few pics from the party…Shower #2 (from the hubby’s side) is in a week and a half!

On top of all that we also did our hospital tour. The place seemed pretty nice being a hospital and all (I absolutely hate being in hospitals…it always has a funky smell to me!) and all the workers were friendly and helpful. It’s nice to know that everyone will get their own private room and to see where everything is. Some rooms even have jacuzzi’s! But it is on a first come basis. And I heard that on your last day there they treat you with a celebratory dinner (a friend of mine who delivered there said it was a yummy steak feast!).

Then along came Thanksgiving and all the cooking, eating and shopping that comes with it. We did finish buying more than half of our presents! Of course we always leave the last few (hard to buy for) till right before Christmas so we still usually end up dealing with last minute shopping anyway =P.

And then right after Thanksgiving I caught a really nasty cold…that I still have today (although I’m feeling a little better now). I went to my doc yesterday just to make sure it wasn’t some other type of flu that I haven’t been vaccinated for or some kind of infection. She said it didn’t look like it and that it was just your plain ol’ cold. That was a relief but let me tell you that I was absolutely miserable the past two days because I couldn’t really take anything. I had the hardest time falling asleep because I was so congested and couldn’t breathe through my nose. I had muscle aches on top of the leg cramps that I’ve been having due to the pregnancy. And it was harder for me to breathe not only because of my stuffed up nose but because my belly has been getting so big and moving upward close to my chest AND I had heartburn! Yes…being sick while pregnant is no fun at all! Oh speaking of my health and all…I forgot to mention that I failed my 1-hour glucose test last month and recently had to take the 3-hour glucose test. That was no fun either. I had to fast for 12 hours and then go to the lab at 7AM to get my blood drawn, then drink this super sweet, flat orange soda tasting drink and then get my blood drawn every hour after that for 3 hours. Waiting around in a hospital for 3 hours with nothing to do sucks! Thankfully the hubby came along with me to keep me company. I felt like a human pin cushion afterwards. They poked me a total of 5 times (one more than I was suppose to because the lady couldn’t get blood out one time…and that one hurt like a biatch!). I swear my arms looked like they belong to a druggie or something. Anyway…I just got the results in earlier this week and the good news is that it came back normal and I do not have gestational diabetes!

So that’s pretty much what has been going on the past month. Baby Brooklynn (we did decide on calling her Brooklynn Reese) has just been kicking/moving so much lately. Some times it startles me or tickles me but it always comforts me that she is being so active in my belly. Sometimes I’ll just stare at my stomach and wait for a jiggle or a wave-like motion. At times I think I can feel her head and even her limbs! Only about 8 more weeks to go!!!

24 weeks

27 weeks

Hubby finally started to paint the nursery this weekend. We decided on a light pink…well…actually…hubby wanted the pink. I was leaning more towards a green or cream. But I let the hubby have his way on this one.

I’ve been also trying to catch up on the many pregnancy/baby books that I have managed to collect. I have a total of 6 and guess how many I’ve actually finished reading….ZERO! I mean I have, of course, skimmed theorugh “What To Expect…” but I haven’t actually finished reading one book from beginning to end. I’m deteremined to though! I’m currently reading a book that a potential pediatrician gave to me during our meet and greet. It’s called “Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth To Reality” http://www.amazon.com/Heading-Home-Your-Newborn-Reality/dp/1581101570/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top So far it is a really good book….easy reading with great info for first-time parents on feeding, pooping, peeing, sleeping, etc. I try to read a little while I’m on the treadmill at the gym and/or before I sleep each night since I always have trouble falling asleep now. And it’s really weird because I used to love to sleep in on the weekends but now I can’t. I usually wake up around 8:30-9AM now. Hubby is usually still asleep but I kind of bother him to get up too…=P It’s like my body is preparing me for when baby comes and I need to get use to not sleeping that much. And speaking of “potential pediatricians” I have my other meet and greet later this week. I can then make my final decision after that and then cross this off my to-do list. I’m hoping we like this doc because she is closer to our home and that would just make it more convenient for us. We loved the other one we already met with and were really impressed on how thorough and kowledgable he is. The only thing is that he’s a bit farther than we wanted…I mean, he’s over by CPMC too (same exact place my OB/GYN is) but we just wanted something a little closer for our pediatrician. But if he is the better choice out of the 2 then I think it will be worth the drive.

We also really liked the Quinny strollers…These are a little bit more affordable ($200-$700 depending on what you get with it).

Quinny

Also…baby is the size of an EGGPLANT this month…

Let your spouse put an ear to your belly — he might be able to pick up baby’s heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby’s also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink — perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

So yeah…I know it shouldn’t matter what other people think and we’ll probably make the decision on our own but it’s always fun just to know other people’s opinions.  I created a fun little baby poll for you to vote for out top 3 choices!

Check it out at: http://www.babyzone.com/babynames/bnpoll.asp?pollid=135744